1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method, system and computer program product that allows for the real-time measurement of the level of ammunition contained within a magazine seated in a weapon system and providing a visible readout to the weapon operator's peripheral vision.
2. Background of Related Art
A concern, which many law enforcement, armed forces, or security personnel may encounter during a firearm confrontation, is the inability to determine with certainty when the load of ammunition in a firearm is running low in order to reload timely.
At the lack of an adequate weapon discharge reporting system that would provide crucial life preserving information to the user, currently adopted procedures in place, if any, are purely intuitive, and are acquired by training relying mostly on the user's state of mind. At any point during a never desired but possible confrontational firing event, the inevitable strain imposed by such circumstances, makes it extremely difficult for the user to keep a mental record of their ammunition consumption. Opting to replace a spent magazine is therefore turned into a hit and miss activity; a still partially loaded magazine is sometimes wastefully dropped and replaced for a new one in the attempt of not being caught on empty. It is widely known and accepted that human beings under stressful situations react more consistently when conditioned to respond to a sensorial reference than to an adopted routine that implies analytical thought and comparison to memorized data.
Several prior art disclosures describe claims with similar intent to monitor either shots fired or ammunition available within the magazine. While shots fired may provide useful information for statistical purposes, it does not directly aid the operator of the firearm. Other described claims perform a count-down function from an indicated starting point and thus require constant recalibration based on the size of the magazine and the actual amount of ammunition loaded into the magazine (Clark, Iredale, Bodmin, Leitner-Wise, & Andrew, 2007). A similar system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,486 (Brinkley, 1995). U.S. Pat. No. 7,509,766 (Vasquez, 2004) indicates a simple LED read out but is still reliant on a preset starting level.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,138 (Crain, 1989) describes a system based on position switches within a magazine and the detection of the mechanical action of the slide. The described system specifies components integrated specifically suitable for a handgun type firearm; with the magazine fully enclosed by the weapon.
Ammunition level indicating magazines that rely on mechanical systems have been claimed, but these occur outside of the operators view while operating the weapon. Translucent magazines allow for a (limited) visual inspection of the magazine without disengaging the magazine from the weapon (Musgrave, Daniel, & Cabin J., 1978).
Round expulsion counting by means of interference in an electromagnetic field was suggested by in U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,260 (Acarreta & Delgado, 2002). A system purely based on recoil was described in claim U.S. Pat. No. 7,356,956 (Schinazi, G., & de Rosset, 2005).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,360 (Herold & Herold, 1998) claims a self contained electronic counting system within a magazine, operating independently from a weapon system. This system positions the read out outside of the operators view and does not offer any storage or data extraction means. U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,850 (Villani, 2000) offers a similar system that is magazine based and relies on a combination of mechanical and electronic components
U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,961 (Johnson & Weidner, 1977) describes a system based around the depressing of a sensor integrated into the firing system, either manually engaged by a trigger pull, or located elsewhere in the fire system like the buffer tube. The described system provides an unspecified method of system state indicator and does not specify any means of storage, data transfer or indication of current ammunition level within the system.